The Arch City - Columbus, Ohio

How Columbus came to be called The Arch CityAfter the Civil War, Ohio probably had more Union Army veterans per capita than any other state in the Union. Most of these former soldiers belonged to the largest and most powerful veterans organization in America, the Grand Army of the Republic. Recognizing this fact, the GAR decided to hold its 22nd annual encampment or convention in Columbus in 1888. More than 250,000 people descended on the city of about 90,000 for 10 days in September. To put this in perspective, imagine 3-million people showing up in Columbus today with the intention of staying for a few days.To hold all of the newcomers, huge tent cities were erected near the downtown.To enhance the safety and security of all of these people, Columbus erected wooden arches lit by gaslights. The high point of the encampment was the review. In the largest single parade of Union soldiers since the end of the Civil War, more than 90,000 veterans marched down High Street -- under the arches.It was a sight to see, and after the soldiers left town, the arches remained for a time as a reminder of one of the great moments in the history of Columbus.In the next few years, the several horse-drawn streetcar companies in Columbus were consolidated into one electrified streetcar company. The streetcars were owned by the Columbus Railway, Power and Light Co. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the electric company, looking for a way to carry power to its streetcars, hearkened back to the iconic image of the arches at the Grand Army encampment.

In 1896, with the construction of a network of arches in the core of downtown, Arch City was born. As we look back at old pictures of Columbus 100 years ago, most of what we now think of as downtown seems to have been full of arches.[source: This Week Community News]